Binocular Anomaly, Color Vision Deficiency and Dry Eye in Patients with Cancer
Journal of Ophthalmic and Optometric Sciences,
Vol. 9 No. 2 (2025),
5 April 2025,
Page 16-26
Objective: To determine the prevalence of color vision disorders and dry eye in patients with cancer.
Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019 at Imam Hossein Hospital, Tehran, Iran, and included 307 eyes from 165 patients with cancer before initiation of systemic chemotherapy. All participants underwent Schirmer I testing, binocular vision and ocular motility assessment, and color vision evaluation with Ishihara plates and the Farnsworth D15 panel. Posterior and anterior segment examinations were also performed.
Results: Data from 307 eyes of 165 patients were analyzed. The mean age was 54.26 ± 13.39 years (range, 18–86). Overall, 74.6 % of eyes showed some degree of dry eye. The mean Schirmer value was 8.65 ± 8.69 mm. Abnormal color vision was detected in 6.74 % of eyes by Ishihara and in 17.28 % by the D15 test. Exophoria was present in 58.8 % of patients and esophoria in 29.1 %, while 2.1 % demonstrated abnormal ocular motility.
Conclusion: Dry eye, color vision deficiency and heterophoria were more frequent among patients with cancer than in the general population, underscoring the need for routine ophthalmic screening and follow-up in oncologic care.